The Grace of Daylight
by Firegirl210
Summary: What would happen if a Vampirate found they could become a human? Would Lorcan take that chance to be with Grace? And will Conner let them? Lorcan/Grace, set between Tide of Terror and Blood Captain
1. Chapter 1

_Alright, I wrote this story when we were all waiting with bated breath for Blood Captain, so I had no idea what would happen in that book. This is pretending that Blood Captain never happened, K? Hope you like it, it's not as good as my new stories because I wrote it so long ago..._

_If I owned Vampirates, I would have Killed off Jez and Johnny long ago, made Sidorio die in a hole, made Lorcan KISS HER ALREADY and made Conner fall in love with Cheng Li. So obviously I don't own it. XD_

_R&R Pleez!_

* * *

**_The Grace of Daylight_**

**_Part One_**

Grace gazed out at the full moon rising slowly over the ocean. The wind blew her hair around her face, and sprayed her with a fine mist from the waves. _The Diablo_ creaked and groaned, and it sounded loud and unfamiliar compared to the silent _Nocturne_.

"Hey, Grace. It's getting cold; why don't you come down below decks?" Connor came up behind her, and she looked up at the darkening sky. "They'll just be waking up now." She said softly. "What?" Conner asked. His sister had changed since they had rescued her. Then again, so had he. He was a full-fledged pirate now. "They'll be starting their duties soon. Miss Flotsam just rang the nightfall bell." Conner frowned. She had been acting so strange lately; sullen and quiet, even sad. "Why are you sad? You're free from those creatures, we're back together, and now it's all in the past." He saw her reach up and touch the locket he had given her. He thought he saw something else on the chain, but he couldn't tell in the dim light. "Well, I'm going to bed. If you want to stay up all night like a vampire…" he stopped, realizing what he was saying.

"Goodnight."

He disappeared below decks, and Grace gazed out at the black waters. 'I wonder if he's thinking of me.' She thought, fingering the ring that nestled beside the locket around her neck. It was almost as if she had a part of the Midshipman who had given it to her. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and quickly brushed it away. She could almost hear the sails of his ship flapping like great wings. She began to sing softly to herself.

_I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates, _

_A tale as old as true.  
Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship, _

_And it's mighty fearsome crew. _

_Yea I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship_

_That sails the ocean blue…_

_That haunts the ocean blue._

_The Vampirate ship has tattered sails,_

_That flap like wings in flight. _

_They say that the captain he wears a veil_

_So as to curtain your fright_

_At his death-pale skin_

_And his lifeless eyes_

_And teeth as sharp as night_

_Oh, they say that the captain, he wears a veil, _

_And his eyes never see the light._

_You'd better be good child-good as gold, _

_As good as good can be._

_Else I'll turn you in to the Vampirates_

_And wave you out to sea. _

_Yes, you'd better be good child-good as gold, _

_Because-look! Can you see?_

_There's a dark ship in the harbor tonight _

_And there's room in the hold for thee!_

_(Aye, plenty of room for thee!)_

_Well if pirates are bad, _

_And vampires are worse, _

_Then I pray that as long as I be _

_That though I sing of Vampirates_

_I never one shall see_

_Yea, if pirates are danger,_

_And vampires are death,_

_I'll extend my prayer for thee-_

_That thine eyes never see a Vampirate…_

_And they never lay a hand on thee. _

Grace felt her voice crack, and she slid down the wall to the deck of _the Diablo_, her tears bitter and the shanty still ringing in her ears. She buried her head in her knees and cried, knowing that on this ship, nightfall was when all things slept. The moon suddenly came out from behind the clouds, and shone right in Grace's face. She looked up and thought she could see a face with long black hair and brilliant blue eyes smiling at her from the clouds. She looked away and buried her face again.

She didn't know that at the same moment, Midshipman Furey was gazing up at the same moon as her, rubbing his hand where the ring was missing. His finger felt strange and naked without it; he had had it for almost seven hundred years, after all. Then he began to whisper to himself.

_I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates, _

_A tale as old as true..._

~*~*~*~*~*~

Grace woke with a start to the sound of flapping sails. She looked around and felt a feeling of vertigo. The boards beneath her were painted red, and a thick mist covered the deck. It was night, and shadows moved about in the mist.

"Midshipman Furey! Secure that rope!"

She shot to her feet at the sound of a sailor's voice. "Lorcan?" She called, and suddenly a wind blew the mist from the deck, revealing a sight she had almost come to miss. Figures went about their pirate tasks, the moon shining down on the Vampirates.

Suddenly a shadow appeared at her side, grabbing a rope and holding on tight. Black hair flapped in the wind, and she knew who it was immediately. He pulled on the rope and lashed it fast to the railing.

"Lorcan! Oh Lorcan, I missed you so much! How am I back? Did I fall off _The Diablo_? Did you rescue me again? I have your ring! Why didn't you say goodbye? Are you alright? Did the sun hurt you?" All her words burst forth in a torrent, but the boy did not respond. "Lorcan, it's me, Grace!"

Suddenly the boy turned, and she stepped back. His eyes were empty pits of red fire, his skin pale as a sheet, and fangs dripping crimson blood curved from his mouth. Grace tried not to scream, but suddenly he leaped at her, his face almost unrecognizable. "Lorcan, it's me! It's Grace!" Grace cried, and he grinned, showing off his fangs. "I know." His fangs pierced her wrist, and she screamed.

"Grace! Grace, what's wrong?!" She opened her eyes and found her twin brother's brilliant green eyes looking down at her. She was breathing hard, and her wrist throbbed. "What happened? I heard you screaming all the way from my cabin!" Grace looked past him and saw several of his Pirate friends looking over his shoulder. Bart, huge and friendly, his large face crinkled in concern. Cate, small, lean and a fighting machine, her choppy red hair flapping in a wind that had come from nowhere. Cheng Li, her face impartial but her worried grey eyes proving that she was also concerned.

"Did you fall? Are you alright?" Grace stood up shakily, and looked at her wrist. She had cut it on a piece of broken bottle on the deck, and it was bleeding profusely. She remembered the Cook's hungry look when she had cut herself in the galley on _The Nocturne_. She quickly covered it with her hand to hide it.

"What happened?"

Conner was looking very worried, and Grace felt the terror of her dream come rushing back. "Lorcan… blood hunger… mist, Vampirates… his eyes…" she stumbled, and Conner looked at Bart. A look passed between them, and she knew they thought she was just remembering her 'horrible ordeal' on _The Nocturne_. She allowed them to lead me down to the cabin Cheng Li had (grudgingly) allowed her to share.

"I certainly hope you don't do that again, Miss Tempest." Cheng Li said, leaning back in her hammock. "I'm sorry. I'll try to control myself." Grace whispered and huddled in her own hammock.

She tried to sleep, but Lorcan's flaming eyes and dripping fangs would giver her no peace. Eventually she drifted into an uneasy doze. She dreamed of Lorcan, drifting in the ocean, lifeless and dead. She saw him cowering from the sunlight, pleading for her to close the curtain. She saw him striking weakly against a foe who could have easily struck him down, (could he even die at the end of a sword?) braving the sunlight to protect her. Once again she saw him stumble into the cabin, shielding his eyes and nearly toppling over. She felt his ring against her neck, and felt like a piece of her had been torn away.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner stood outside Cheng Li's cabin, waiting for her to come out to sword train. He could hear Grace mumbling and whispering, and he heard her shifting in her hammock. Suddenly the door swung open, hitting Conner—who had been just a bit too close—right on the nose. "Ow!" He exclaimed, and Cheng Li stormed out, whirling on him.

"That sister of yours is a menace! Mumbling all night, the same thing over and over, tossing and turning, crying out; I tell you, she's lost her mind!" As if to punctuate her point, Grace suddenly shot up in her hammock. "Lorcan!" She cried, and the hammock overturned, dumping her out on the floor. Conner told Cheng Li to go ahead without him and entered the cabin. The light was dim, and Grace was sitting on the floor, blinking like someone had flipped a switch in her head. "What happened?" She asked. Conner lugged her to her feet. "You fell out of bed. You must have been really scared of that vampire you keep talking about; you have nightmares about him all the time."

Grace leaned against the wall, her legs shaking. "What happened here?" Conner asked, pointing to her cut wrist. "I cut it on the deck last night. I was dreaming…" She stopped, taking a steadying breath.

"He was like them."

Conner shook his head. "Why don't you get dressed and come up to the deck? We're having sword training, and Cheng Li is leaving soon for some teaching thing at the Pirate academy." Grace nodded and Conner left, his head buzzing. Had his sister finally lost her mind?

-*-*-*-*-*-

Lorcan had not been out that night or the night before and the small bit of candlelight in his cabin burned his eyes. Ever since he had been out in the sun, he had been seeing spots through the mist that covered his vision, and a thought nagged the back of his head. 'What if I'm going blind?' He shook the thought away, but then only thoughts of Grace were present in his mind. He sighed, remembering how she had run to her brother. He hoped she had found his ring. She was gone now, and Lorcan knew she would never come back.

After all, who would choose to live among monsters?

The Evening Bell tolled, and Lorcan felt his mind slipping once again into dreams of the girl who had Graced the ship after a stormy Tempest.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Conner and Bart clanged mops in the late afternoon sun, and Grace looked out at the ocean. She knew she should be happy that she was with Conner on a pirate ship where she didn't have to worry about rebel vampires attacking her in her sleep. She gazed up at the slowly darkening sky and thought of when she looked into a pair of eyes bluer then the bluest of mornings.

"Grace, come on, have a little fun!" Conner said, breathing heavily and grinning and dripping with sweat and dirty water from the mop fight. "I'm alright Conner. I was only thinking." Her twin sat down on the railing, shaking his hair dry. "About the Vampires again?" She looked down. "Who's that one you keep having nightmares about? Did he hurt you?"

Grace closed her fist around the locket he had given her. Once again he thought he could see something else on the chain, and he put his hand over hers, working his fingers so that he could open her hand himself. He opened her fingers gently, and there was the small silver locket. But there was also a ring in the center of her palm. The ring had a design of two hands clasped together with a crown above them. Inside the clasped hands was a skull.

"Where'd you get this? It's kind of creepy looking." Grace pulled her hand away. "It was given to me by a friend and it's very special, so I would appreciate it if you would mind your own business." Conner frowned. Grace was keeping a secret from him. They never kept secrets from each other. "Why won't you just tell me?" Grace just walked away, her hand still clenched around the locket and the ring.

"Buddy, are ya gonna sit around all day or are you going to help me swab this deck?" Bart called, and Conner picked up his mop and slung it across the deck.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Grace Stumbled down the stairs, walking blindly. Conner knew she was keeping secrets, and he didn't like it. Well, her business was her business, and he could just stay out of it.

Suddenly she heard heavy footsteps, and she turned around slowly. A familiar and terrifying face was towering over her, smiling nastily. "Well, what do we have here? If it isn't the captain's little friend." His hand shot out, and he had a hold on her necklace.

"What's this?"

Grace held on to the chain desperately, hoping it would hold. "No, leave it alone!" Sidorio smiled nastily again. "This is Furey's ring, isn't it?" He snorted. "I hope he burns in the sun."

Grace lashed out at him, hitting his arm. She succeeded only in hurting her palm. "What's to say I shouldn't kill you now?" Grace's mind raced. "Your boyfriend is long gone, along with the captain. You have no one to protect you." Grace thought fast.

"You're wrong. If I scream, Conner will come. He'll come, and he'll bring Bart and Cate and maybe even Cheng Li. They would cut you down in a second if you had my blood on your fangs." She spat the last word, and Sidorio laughed. "You don't know how to pick your fights, girl. Now that I know you're here, I can pick you off whenever I choose." She realized he was right. He let her necklace drop, landing with a gentle bump of relief on her collarbone.

"When I go back to take my revenge, I'll be sure to kill Furey first, and I'll make sure to make him suffer." He lumbered away down the corridor and she sank to the floor, having had her second close brush with death at Sidorio's fangs.

She knew she had to tell Conner.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner was just finishing getting whacked over the head with a mop by Bart when Grace flew up the stairs. "Conner! Conner, help!" She cried, and Conner leaped down the stairs to meet her halfway.

"Grace, what's wrong?"

His sister was trembling like mad, and her eyes had a wild fear he had never seen before. "Si-Sidorio!" She stammered. "Who? Gracie, calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!" He took his sister's hand, but she pulled away. "No, Conner, you don't understand! He's here! Sidorio, he's on _The Diablo_, I saw him below decks! He was on _The Nocturne_—"

Conner put his hand on her shoulder. "I think you mean Caesar. He was a prisoner on the Vampirate Ship, and we found him on the docks." Grace rocked backward in shock. "What? No! He's not what he says he is! Don't let anyone near him! He was thrown off the ship because he drained his donor, and he was after me, and—"

Conner held onto Grace's shoulders firmly. "Grace. Caesar is _not_ a vampire. He is just a normal person who lived through being on that ship. You two actually have a lot in common." Grace pulled away. "No, no, you don't understand! He tried to kill me! And he said that when he goes back to _The Nocturne_ for revenge he's going to kill the Captain and he's going to kill Lorcan!" She was talking so fast Conner could barely understand what she was saying. All he caught was kill, kill, and kill.

"Grace, why don't you go to your cabin and rest?"

Grace suddenly took on an air of anger and solid determination Conner had never seen before. "No. I will _not_ go back to my cabin while that monster is roaming around below us! He is the kind of vampire we have all heard stories about; he's a bloodthirsty monster. He wants to kill all the other vampires, and he wants to kill us. He will. I've seen him kill an innocent man as if he was nothing but an annoying fly—he sees us as bugs to be swatted. I won't sit here while you play swords with Bart; I'm going to find someone who will help me." She turned to leave. Then Conner noticed something. There was a thin, angry red line on the back of her neck.

"Grace, what happened to your neck?" He asked, and she rubbed the spot where Sidorio had pulled on her necklace. "He was going to break my necklace. He recognized the ring. He's an evil brute who deserves to go back to the abyss. The Captain saved him from it once. Caesar indeed." She muttered, and Conner caught her arm. "He tried to break your necklace?" She nodded. "Yes, but Conner, that's not really the point—"

Conner stormed past her. "I'm going to have a word with Caesar." Grace scurried after him, looking back and hoping Bart would follow on instinct; but he didn't, and she knew that Conner could very well be marching to his death.

"No, this isn't what I meant! We have to take someone with us! We can't go alone! Please, Conner, listen to me! He isn't who he pretends to be!" Conner just marched on, ignoring her pleas. She went after him, and they both disappeared into the bowels of the ship.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lorcan jerked awake, somehow knowing that Grace was in trouble. He stumbled from his cabin, his vision blurred. '_I have to find the captain_.' His mind propelled him forward, and he reached for the doorknob. He opened the door a crack, but none of the sunlight that had cost him most of his vision poured through. He opened the door further, and realized that a fog had rolled in.

"Midshipman Furey. You should be sleeping." The Captain's voice came from nearby, but Lorcan's eyes saw only shadows. "Captain, it's about Grace. I think she's in trouble." The Captain appeared by his side, his mask nothing more then a white blur to Lorcan's eyes. "

I had a dream about her, and she was with Sidorio, and he was trying to choke her brother—"

The captain held up a hand. "You must go to her." Lorcan looked surprised, then nodded. "Aye sir. But what happens when the mist clears? I'm still recovering from my last encounter with the sun." He looked up, squinting against the dim light through the mist.

"You will go by night." The Captain said, and motioned for him to leave. "The sun will be out soon, Mister Furey. Go back to your cabin and be prepared to leave at nightfall. I will provide a way." Lorcan nodded and saluted the captain before going back to his cabin. His vision was a bit clearer, and he felt stronger. '_I'm coming, Grace_.' He thought, and ran to his cabin to get his sword.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Grace and Conner stopped outside a cabin door, and Grace felt the fear knotting her stomach. The door opened, and her heart almost stopped once again. Sidorio glared down at them. "Hello, Mister Tempest. Miss Tempest." He looked into her eyes, and she saw a flicker of flame in them.

He was hungry. "Conner, I think we should leave. This is a really bad idea." Conner waved her away and looked up at the figure in the doorway. "I'm thirsty, Miss Tempest. I suppose I should start with your brother, considering how you're so worried he doesn't believe you." Conner opened his mouth to say something, but Sidorio suddenly grabbed Conner around the neck and began to squeeze. Conner froze, his face a mask of horror. "Bart! Bart, help!" Grace shouted, but the muscular pirate was nowhere to be seen.

"By the time they hear you screaming your brother will be dead."

She knew he was right. '_Oh Captain, help us!_' Grace pleaded in her mind. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, like something had hit the deck. "What the—" There was another thud as someone was shoved against the wall. "It's a stowaway! Grab him!" Someone yelled, and Sidorio and Grace both stopped, looking up the stairs. For a few moments nothing happened. Then a shadow appeared, and suddenly a black-haired something shot toward them, sword in hand.

"Why hello! Have we met?" He said in a soft Irish brogue, tossing Grace the extra sword he was holding. "Lorcan! Where did you come from?"

Conner wheezed, and the two turned, swords focused on Sidorio. "Ah, Midshipman Furey to the rescue." Sidorio said sarcastically. "Let go of Grace's brother, Sidorio. I've gotten the attention of the crewmen on deck. How long will it take them to find me?" As if in answer to his question, voices sounded at the end of the corridor.

"Grace!" Conner gasped, and she could see his face turning blue. "NO!" She lunged at Sidorio, but he brushed her aside easily. Suddenly Bart burst through the door at the end of the hallway. "There he is!" He shouted, pointing at Lorcan. "Bart! Help!" Grace shouted, and the big pirate caught sight of Sidorio and Conner.

"Hey there, Caesar, calm down. Let's just put Conner down, and then no one will get hurt." Sidorio laughed and suddenly shot up the stairs impossibly fast, dropping Conner gasping for air on the floor. Grace dove to her brother's aid, and Lorcan raced after Sidorio with the same inhuman speed. "Go help them! I'll be fine—just go!" Conner said, and Grace ran up the stairs after the pirates.

When she reached the top, she saw Sidorio and Lorcan facing off, Bart hovering behind and watching for an opening. "You'll pay for siding with the mortals, Furey! I will make you pay, along with the Captain." Lorcan circled around, facing him with steely resolve. Their dim shadows danced in the light of the full moon that was rising over their heads.

"We have our backs against a wall, Sidorio. We are both enemies here. When the sun rises, they will take us both, and we'll either be locked away or sent back to the abyss. This is a no win situation, and you know it." Sidorio looked around like a trapped animal, his eyes wide. Half of the moon was over the horizon now, and the breeze was cool. Only Cate, Bart and Grace were on deck; the other pirates were sleeping far below.

Suddenly Lorcan lunged at his chest, sword raised. But Sidorio was ready. He grabbed the much smaller Vampirate by his long black jacket and hurled him into the wall of the Map Room, splintering the wood with the force.

"Lorcan!" Grace cried, and ran to the wreckage. Bart took his chance and tackled the vampire, knocking him down and struggling to keep him there. Sidorio threw him off, and Bart hit his head hard on the side railing, knocking him out cold. Grace had managed to dig most of the wood splinters out from around Lorcan, and she wasn't paying any attention to the battle behind her. Suddenly Cate grabbed her and pulled her out of the way, just in time.

Sidorio grabbed Lorcan by the collar and hefted him up, his feet swinging where she had been standing moments before. Grace struggled to free herself from Cate's grip, trying to reach Lorcan even though she knew she couldn't do anything to help.

"Who's going to save you now, Grace? The Captain is far away, and he's a coward! And this pathetic boy is going back to the abyss if I can help it!" Sidorio shook Lorcan's limp body and then dropped him hard on the deck, making Grace cry out.

Suddenly a sword point stained with black liquid appeared in the center of Sidorio's chest, and he looked down in surprise. "Leave my sister alone." Said a voice, and Sidorio crumpled to the deck as he died again at the tip of a sword—and this time would be the last. Conner stood with his sword raised, black ooze staining the end. "I guess this is what Vampire blood looks like, eh?"

Grace leaped up from behind Cate and rushed over to where Lorcan lay motionless. She knelt by his side, looking for any sign that he was alive. Alive? Undead? She didn't know how to tell, but she could feel his skin was stone cold. Then again, he was always cold. "Lorcan, wake up, please. It's night time; the sun can't hurt you here."

Only Cate, Conner and a half-conscious Bart were on deck, and no one had heard the noise—their very recent visit to Ma Kettles had left them to sleep like the dead. They would never know of the Vampire battle that had taken place on this deck.

Grace stroked the Vampirate's hair away from his face, remembering the time he had done the same to her. "Grace, I don't think he's going to wake up." Conner said softly. Grace turned on him, tears stinging her eyes. "He _will_ wake up! You don't know anything, and you didn't listen to me! If we had gotten rid of Sidorio before, this never would have happened! You thought I was just a paranoid little girl! Now because of you, Lorcan might be dying!!" She shouted, and Conner back away, obviously hurt. They never yelled at each other, ever, even when they were kids.

"Just go away." She whispered, and he turned. "Come on, Cate. Let's take Bart to his cabin." He took hold of Bart's legs and Cate hooked her arms under his shoulders. "Ma Kettles, please." Bart mumbled dreamily, and Conner rolled his eyes. "Why yes, I would like a dance, Sugar Pie." The trio disappeared down the stairs.

Grace looked down at the pale face she had come to know as more then a Vampire or a Vampirate or a monster. He was her friend, her _best_ friend. He had braved the sunlight for her. He had come all the way from _The Nocturne_ to _The Diablo_ to save her from Sidorio. He had fought a Vampire far stronger and a better fighter then he to protect her. And he had paid the price for keeping her safe.

"Please, Lorcan, wake up." Grace pleaded softly, tears streaming down her face. The only thing she wanted was to see those intense blue eyes looking at her again, the white smile with his gently pointed canines, the soft voice, the kindness and the magic food that appeared out of nowhere. She would even go back to the Feast room or the Galley on _The Nocturne_ just to have his blue eyes open again.

She took the ring off the chain around her neck and held it. "I meant to give this back to you. I knew I'd see you again." She said through her tears, and put the ring on his chest. He remained motionless—but then again, she couldn't remember if he had ever breathed at all. Had his heart even beat? Had tears ever fallen from his eyes? She didn't know, and now she never would. She finally broke down and sobbed into his long black hair, holding his cold form tightly in he arms. "I'm sorry, Lorcan." She whispered.

"For what?" An unmistakable Irish brogue rasped near her ear, and she pulled back. A pair of blue eyes was looking up at her, and a slight, weak smile graced his lips. A cough racked his body, and he winced and clutched his side. "Are you alright? Can you speak? Lorcan, are you insane!?"

He looked up at her and then down at his hand. It was closed around something, and he opened it slowly. "My ring." He whispered, a smile creeping across his face. "I had to give it back to you. It's yours after all."

Lorcan took her hand in his and placed the ring in her palm, closing her fingers around it. "No, it's yours. I gave it to you then; and now I'm officially giving it to you."

Suddenly he closed his eyes and made a little noise as he tried to fight down a wall of pain. "Come on. Can you stand? I have my own cabin since Cheng Li moved up to a temporary one this morning, you can probably stay there."

Lorcan leaned heavily on her, and she could feel him shaking. "Lorcan, can I ask you a question?" He drew a shaky breath and nodded, clenching his jaw against the pain. "Do Vampires—uh, sorry—Vamp_irates_ bleed?"

To answer he moved his hand away from his side, revealing a thick black liquid that seeped through his fingers like poison. "We don't exactly have normal blood for obvious reasons, but we still bleed to a certain extent." He said, his voice strained.

"I see. Alright, you can stop talking now. Let's just get you inside before the sun comes up." He nodded and stumbled across the deck, using her as support. When they reached the safe haven of the corridor, they were met with stares. Several early risers were heading out for their pre-dawn duties, and they regarded the black-haired stranger with suspicion.

"What will happen to Sidorio's body?" Grace asked. Lorcan winced and answered, "When the sun comes up, it will turn to dust. That's what happens to dead Vampires." Grace nodded, but she was still confused. "If you can die, doesn't that mean you are alive?" Suddenly Lorcan went down with a gasp of pain, his knees buckling under him. "Come on, we're almost there." She urged, but he was out cold.

"Grace! What on earth—" Cheng Li was standing behind them in the hallway, her black hair tied back in a ponytail and her grey eyes wide. "Mistress Li! Please, can you help me get him to my cabin? He has to get inside before the sun reaches in here." Cheng Li gave her an odd look, but grabbed Lorcan's other arm. "Be careful! He's hurt!" Cheng Li took one look at the black blood and gasped, pulling her hands away from the boy as if he were a deadly disease.

"How could you even think of bringing one of those, those _creatures_ on board _The Diablo_?" Cheng Li demanded, and Grace looked up into her face, still holding Lorcan's shoulders protectively.

"This _'creature'_ is my friend. Like Captain Wrathe always says, every pirate is a brother. What does the fact that he sails under a different captain make him any different? Please help me, Cheng Li." The Deputy looked a bit annoyed by Grace using her name instead of her formal title, but she took hold of Lorcan's arm all the same. "I could lose my rank for this." She muttered.

"Thank you, Cheng Li. He saved my life more then once, and today he saved many on this crew from a terrible fate at the hands of a monster." Grace said, and Cheng Li squinted like she didn't believe it one bit. They set him down in the hammock, and he gasped in pain and shot upright before grunting and falling back down against the hammock, half conscious now.

"Vampires don't feel pain." Cheng Li said bluntly. Lorcan opened one of his eyes and glared at her. "Yeah, this is all an act to get pity. And the fake blood is an extra touch." Cheng Li glared at the Vampirate. "I don't converse with creatures such as you, Vampire." Lorcan sat up with difficulty, ignoring Cheng Li and looking at Grace.

"I guess we're even now, huh?" She smiled and hugged him gently, careful to avoid his wounds. "I still owe you one or two." Suddenly a thought crossed Grace's mind. "Lorcan, how are you going to, you know…" she glanced at Cheng Li, who made no acknowledgment of her look. "Feed?" She whispered.

Lorcan winced and clutched his side again. "I don't have any idea Grace. I'll probably be going back to the good old _Nocturne_ soon. Your crew wouldn't want someone… Like _me_ on their ship."

Grace propped a pillow behind his head and put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back against it. "You should rest. It's almost day now, but I'll come back later, ok? Try to sleep; I'll make sure the porthole stays covered." He smiled at her, showing his slightly pointed canines, and Cheng Li jerked back with a sharp breath that sounded like a hiss.

"You're really something, Grace." He said softly as she pinned the curtain up double, blocking the light from outside out completely. "Ok, I'll lock the door, and I'll come back tonight. I know we can work something out with the Captain." She closed the door, and Cheng Li tapped her foot behind her.

"Miss Tempest, you can't really believe that abomination will listen to a word you say? He will turn on you when night comes, and he'll wreak havoc on the whole ship! If I find one crew member with no blood tomorrow—"

Grace slammed her fist against the wall, silencing Cheng Li suddenly. "Lorcan is _not_ going to hurt anyone. I've been helpless and at his mercy, and he never hurt me. Now that he's at our mercy, I don't want him to feel like he's got nowhere to go."

Cheng Li rolled her eyes, but agreed. "No one is to know about this. Understand? If I hear one whisper about a Vampirate aboard this ship, there will be many consequences." She turned and stormed off, leaving Grace behind.

Grace raced down the corridor to the mess hall, shoving past pirates without so much as an 'excuse me'. Finally she found Conner and Bart at their table, across from Cate and another pirate she didn't know.

"Grace, you've decided to join us! I'm sorry about your friend, but I'm sure things will get better eventually." Grace slid into the seat next to Conner. "Thanks Cate, but I don't need your apologies. I just need you and Conner and Cate to keep absolutely silent about all this. No one can know, or they might finish the job Sidorio started and throw Lorcan overboard or something even worse. Anyway, do I have your word that you won't tell anyone?"

Bart spat on his hand and held it out. "I promise, even though I don't know exactly what's going on." Cate mimicked his action, and Conner did as well. They all shook on it and Grace hugged her brother before grabbing a tin of water.

"What's that for? You love tea, have some of that." She held a finger to her lips and signaled him to be silent and slipped away down the corridor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lorcan slipped in and out of dreams, but at least they weren't nightmares. He heard a knock, and he struggled to sit.

"Lorcan, it's me. I brought you some water. You do drink water, right?" Grace asked as she slipped in the room, closing and latching the door behind her. "I am awfully thirsty." Lorcan said, and took the cup from her. "Thank you." He said and drank deeply.

Grace stood up and peeked out the window, making sure not to let any light past her face to disturb her friend. She could see a small covering of dust across the deck, and she shivered as she thought of how close Lorcan had come to being part of that dust.

"Grace? How does the Vampirate shanty go again? I can't seem to remember it…" Lorcan said, and his voice sounded thin and far away. Grace smiled and sat down in the chair next to the hammock.

And softly she began to sing.

_I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates, _

_A tale as old as true.  
Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship, _

_And it's mighty fearsome crew. _

_Yea I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship_

_That sails the ocean blue…_

_That haunts the ocean blue._

_The Vampirate ship has tattered sails,_

_That flap like wings in flight. _

_They say that the captain he wears a veil_

_So as to curtain your fright_

_At his death-pale skin_

_And his lifeless eyes_

_And teeth as sharp as night_

_Oh, they say that the captain, he wears a veil, _

_And his eyes never see the light._

_You'd better be good child-good as gold, _

_As good as good can be._

_Else I'll turn you in to the Vampirates_

_And wave you out to sea. _

_Yes, you'd better be good child-good as gold, _

_Because-look! Can you see?_

_There's a dark ship in the harbor tonight _

_And there's room in the hold for thee!_

_(Aye, plenty of room for thee!)_

_Well if pirates are bad, _

_And vampires are worse, _

_Then I pray that as long as I be _

_That though I sing of Vampirates_

_I never one shall see_

_Yea, if pirates are danger,_

_And vampires are death,_

_I'll extend my prayer for thee-_

_That thine eyes never see a Vampirate…_

_And they never lay a hand on thee. _

Lorcan closed his eyes. "'I'll extend my prayer for thee, that thine eyes never see a Vampirate, and they never lay a hand on thee.' So much for that." He muttered. "Why do you say that?" Grace asked. "Well, you've seen more Vampirates then most, and Sidorio certainly laid a hand on you. He could have killed you!" Grace looked away.

She felt his cool hand on her cheek, and she looked back up at him. He reached up and stroked her hair out of her eyes. "Do you wish you had never laid eyes on this Vampirate?" He asked softly, his hand resting on the side of her face. Grace flung her arms around him, tears burning her eyes. "I'd rather live all those things again then have never met you." She pulled back and saw his intense blue eyes also full of tears.

"I guess Vampirates do cry." He said, laughing, and they embraced again. "You remember that time in the cabin, when you stood by the window with your hand on the curtain? I remember how afraid you were of me. I guess we've both changed since then." Grace put her head on his shoulder and looked up. "What makes you say that?" He smiled at her. Then they both burst into laughter at their upside down view of each other.

"You seem to be feeling better." A voice said coldly, and both heads turned to the door and Grace leaped back so she was no longer snuggled into Lorcan's chest.

Cheng Li was standing there, her eyes narrowed at Lorcan's open arms that were around Grace a moment ago. "I won't intervene, but I will say one thing. You're making a mistake, Grace. I hope it doesn't end in your doom." She slammed the door shut, and Lorcan and Grace looked at each other blankly. "I have to go, Conner will be worried." Lorcan sat back and nodded. "I should get back to sleep anyway. Maybe tonight we can take a stroll around the deck. That is if Mistress Li doesn't catch us and throw us both overboard first." He said with a wink. Grace slipped out the door, locking it behind her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where have you been all day?" Conner asked, and Grace just shrugged. "I was making sure he felt comfortable." Conner ducked under Cate's swing, jabbing with his sheathed rapier at her arm. She blocked and twisted his sword out of his hands, making it skitter across the deck and come to a stop near the hastily patched up battle area where Sidorio had thrown Lorcan into the wall.

"Well, that Vampirate must be made of tougher stuff then me, to have survived a hit like that…" Bart surveyed the damage.

"Miss Tempest! Get to work on polishing those swords! Now!" Cheng Li shouted, and Grace moved away with a grimace. She had a feeling that Cheng Li would make sure her life was miserable in any way possible.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After supper, Conner walked through the corridors, whistling as he made his way to Grace's cabin. He approached it, and he distinctly heard laughing on the other side of the door. He pressed his ear against it, and could make out two voices, male and female. The female voice was obviously Grace, and the male voice had a strong Irish accent, whoever it was. The man said something, and Grace laughed softly. It was silent for a moment, and then soft speaking came from the other side of the door.

Suddenly the doorknob turned, and Conner fell through onto the floor. It was utterly dark in the room. In the hammock was the boy who had been fighting. Grace was standing next to the hammock, holding a roll of bandages and a pair of scissors in her hands, so it was obvious where the bandages around the boy's bare torso came from. It was the boy he had seen when he rescued her from _The Nocturne_, the boy she had nightmares about.

"What are you two doing in here?" He asked. Grace cocked her head and frowned. "Conner, what are you doing here?" Conner looked closely at the boy in the room with her. His blue eyes glittered intensely as he met his stare fearlessly. Conner suddenly felt like he had to protect Grace from the boy, and he knew just how to do it.

"Why, I came to show you the beautiful sunset. Let's just open this curtain!" He jumped up and pulled back the curtain letting orange-red light spill into the room.

"Aaugh!"

The boy stumbled out of his hammock, his arm over his eyes. "Conner!!" Grace cried and rushed to the window. She grabbed the curtain and pulled on it. "Let it alone, it's just a bit of fun!" Conner held onto the curtain, and Grace was not strong enough to pull it from his grasp. "Conner, stop it. Please, Conner, stop!" Grace was pleading with him. Conner almost laughed as the boy crouched in the corner, shielding his face with his arms. "Look at this! A mighty _vampire_, cowering from a sunset. Why are we afraid of you at all?"

Suddenly Grace stepped forward and slapped her brother across the face with all her strength. He stepped back in shock, letting the curtain fall. Grace secured it and moved to the boy in the corner. "I'm sorry, Lorcan. I don't know what has gotten into him. Are you alright?"

The boy looked up, and Conner could see the way he blinked like an owl, his brilliant blue eyes covered with a thin milky film that dissipated as he watched. "Come on, let's go on deck. The sun will set any minute, and then we won't have to worry." Grace took his arm and helped him stand. He was shaking, and still blinking. He suddenly bent over, clutching his side. Conner wasn't sure he liked him having his arm around Grace, shirtless as he was. "Maybe we shouldn't go out on deck?" Grace said gently, but he shook his head. "I need some fresh air. The Moon makes me feel better anyway."

She helped him into a shirt and they walked out, leaving Conner feeling betrayed. She was being so kind and gentle to this boy, and she had hit Conner. She had _never_ hit Conner before, even when they were fighting during their toddler age. His cheek stung, but not as much as his pride.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace walked beside Lorcan, watching as he limped and noticing every time he reached for the wall or the railing for support. "Lorcan, are you sure you're up to this? I mean, I know it's not a lot of activity, but you're still hurt. And the incident with the curtain didn't help at all." He shook his head. "I'm fine, Grace." He said softly.

She looked over the railing, and saw the very top of the sliver of the crescent moon rising. "Oh look! The moon is coming up." She said excitedly, Lorcan looked, and his face turned very sad. "I hate to see you two fighting. I miss my sister sometimes. It's been almost seven hundred years since I crossed, and she lived a normal life without me, never knowing I was still here. She was only seven when I… Died."

He said it, and Grace felt a chill run up her spine. Only a few hours ago, she had been leaning against him, wondering if he would kiss her, and maybe even hoping he would. Never once did it cross her mind what he was. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, Lorcan was dead.

Grace wrapped her arms around his waist and put her ear against his chest. "Grace, what are you doing?" Lorcan asked, and she felt a realization creep over her. No sound reached her ear. His heart would never beat again, and it hadn't beat for hundreds of years. "Grace?" He looked down at her, and she looked up at him. How could this person—so young and so handsome, full of kindness and life—be dead? "Ah." He seemed to realize what she had been doing, and he pulled out of her arms, sitting down on the railing. Grace sat beside him.

"Grace… I'm dead. I've _been_ dead for seven hundred years. Not that I really keep track anymore. I lost interest at around one hundred and thirteen." He laughed softly as if he had made a joke before continuing on. "My heart doesn't beat, as I'm sure you noticed. But as I've learned from experience, it is still possible for a Vampirate to love, even without a beating heart. In fact, there is a legend…" He trailed off, and Grace looked up at him. "There is a legend that says that a Vampirate has a chance to change his fate. On the Harvest Moon, the Vampirate must mix blood with a human, and then he will be mortal once more. But the magic comes with a price: the Vampirate will die within thirty years."

Grace leaned her head on his shoulder. "I wouldn't mind having some Vampirate blood in me, I suppose."

Lorcan looked down at her. "Grace, will you come with me?" She sat up, taking her head off his shoulder. "To where?" He looked out across the ocean, southward. "To Devil's Isle. It's an island that's surrounded by jagged cliffs and dangerous reefs, and many a ship has sunken there. But it's the only place where the ritual can take place." Grace stood up. "You mean you'd give up Immortality?"

Lorcan stood also, and he faced Grace, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I've already done worse then that. What's a life of relying on others to live compared to what you have? I think I could give up immortality if it meant being able to live without others fearing me. To be able to go out in the sun without pain…" Grace attached herself to him, breathing in his scent; the scent of the sea, and something she couldn't quite place; it was metallic, coppery, like iron.

"I don't fear you." She said. He stroked her hair, his eyes closed as he rested his chin on her head. She breathed in deeply again, and then the identity of the smell hit her.

He smelled like blood.

Then she realized that all the Vampirates must smell of blood. "You smell like salt." Grace said, her voice muffled and her face still pressed into his jacket. "What?" he asked. "You smell like salty air and water." He shook his head at her, brushing her nose with his long black hair. "Stop it, that tickles and you know it." She said, and Lorcan shook his head harder.

She laughed and slipped out of his arms. "So, how are we going to get to Devil's Isle?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner watched it all from under the stairwell. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but then he saw his fourteen year old sister in the arms of a pirate. And not just any pirate, a _vampire _pirate. He could only wonder what the others would say if they knew.

What would his father say? Would he be angry? Angry that Conner couldn't keep her away from the monsters in the first place? Or would he be happy for her? Conner didn't know how he himself felt, much less how their dad would have felt.

When Grace went inside yawning and barely able to keep her eyes open, Conner slipped out from under the stairwell and walked over to the Vampirate. "Hello, Conner Tempest." The Vampirate said in his strong Irish Brogue, turning to face him. Conner felt a bit unnerved that he knew his name. "There are no curtains to pull here."

Conner looked down. "I'm not here to hurt you." The Vampirate turned and stood at the railing, his figure perfectly at home on a ship. "So, you're what, sixteen? How did the vampires get you?" The pale hand on the railing tightened. "I am seventeen. And the Vampir_ates_ saved me. They saved me from the abyss."

Conner suddenly felt nervous about talking to someone who had been brought back to life. "So, you and Grace seem like good friends." The Vampirate said nothing, only gazed up at the moon. "She's my sister. I have a right to know what happens in her life." He looked at him, and Conner was once again unnerved by the intensity of his gaze. How did Grace stand it?

"I suppose you're right. You do have a right to know. You're her brother. A brother should always be there for his sister." He said is with such a sad voice, the voice of one who knew and had failed.

"You have a sister?"

The Vampirate sighed. "I did. A long, long time ago." Conner cocked his head. "You're seventeen. It couldn't have been that long ago." Suddenly the Vampirate whirled on him, and Conner felt himself reaching for his sword instinctively. "Why do you care? You don't care! You hate me and all of my kind!" Lorcan snapped, his eyes flashing. "You think I don't know that? Everyone hates us! Why should you be any different?"

Conner blinked. Where had all this emotion come from? "If you care at all, please don't make Grace believe the things you do. She sees us as people. She is one of the few who don't see me as a monster. Don't take that away from us, Conner. Let her be." Conner felt taken aback that the Vampirate was trying to defend Grace from _him_.

The Vampire turned his back on Conner and didn't speak again. Conner turned and ran down the corridor and into his room where he shut the door and didn't come out until morning, letting Bart's snores lull him to sleep.

* * *

_Hope you liked it, it was fun to write! Sorry if Conner's reactions are WAAAAY over the top, Stormgirl pointed that out..._

_Review Pleez! Chappie 2 coming soon!_

_~^~Phoenix~^~_


	2. Chapter 2

_Reminder: I wrote this before Blood Captain came out, so this takes place after Tide of Terror. _

_Sorry if Conner is too Melodramatic! I like drama! *sobs*_

_If I owned Vampirates, Book 4 would already be out. HURRY UP JUSTIN!!!!_

_Read, Review, Enjoy!!!!_

* * *

Grace opened her eyes and realized it was morning. She sat up and looked around her cabin. The hammock was empty, and it didn't look as if anyone had been there since she had made it the evening before. She leaped out of bed and flew down the corridor, brushing past pirates on her way. She stopped in front of Conner and Bart's cabin door and started pounding with both fists.

"Conner, open this door right now!"

The door opened, and Bart looked sleepily down at her. "What's with all the banging?" Grace pushed past him and into the cabin. A lump in the bed showed where Conner was asleep, and Grace leaped on top of him, throwing off his blanket and shaking him awake. "Conner, what did you do!?" She snapped, and he blinked. "What? What did I do about what?" He mumbled, and Grace smacked him in the face with the lumpy pillow. "Conner, I know you did something to Lorcan! He's not here and the sun is up!"

Conner sat up, putting his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "Look Gracie, I'm sure he's just wandering around the ship somewhere." Grace paced back and forth.

"I think I'll just go to the mess hall." Bart said and vanished.

"Conner, please just tell me what you did to make him leave. I don't know what you could have possibly done; we have to go to Devil's Isle." Conner leaped up, smacking his head on the top of his bunk. "Devil's Isle? Why in Calypso's name would you want to go there?"

Grace ignored him and kept pacing. "Maybe he's just looking for a map. Yes, that must be what he's doing. But what is he doing out now? If he gets caught out in the sunlight, things will get worse then they already are!" Conner stood up and took his sister by the shoulders. "Grace, calm down. I know you're not particularly happy with me right now, but I promise I had nothing to do with whatever happened to the vampire." Grace looked into her brother's identical emerald eyes with icy distance separating them.

"The Vampir_ate_ has a name, Conner. His name is Lorcan." She closed the door and swept up the corridor, slamming any open doors as she went.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lorcan didn't know where he was going; only that he had to avoid everyone on the ship. He hadn't judged the sun right; it had come up faster then he had thought it would. He was forced to run for cover before the pirates began to come onto the deck. His vision was blurred and he stumbled about down the empty corridor.

He was so hungry… No, he wouldn't, he couldn't, not now. He found Grace's cabin and stumbled in, the light in the corridor burning his already injured eyes.

He couldn't, he wouldn't give in to the hunger…

*~*~*~*~*~*

Grace couldn't find him. She looked everywhere, but dared not ask. Cheng Li would skin her alive if 'the creature' was loose in the ship. Grace just hoped he hadn't been seen. After over an hour of searching she gave up and hoped that he had made it somewhere he could hide from the sun. She followed Cheng Li's orders and went to work polishing the swords.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner felt bad that Grace was so mad at him, and decided to go and apologize. Her cabin door was ajar, and the room was dark beyond. He guessed she wasn't there. Then he heard someone shift in the hammock, and he knew that someone was indeed inside. He gritted his teeth and looked at his shoes as his thoughts turned red.

The Vampirate was here, all alone and defenseless in the light. He knew he could finish it then. One stab with his sword and the world would be rid of a monster. But after what the Vampirate had said the night before, he felt a bit of guilt at the thought. 'Don't take that away from us…' The way he said 'us' made it sound like they were together.

Suddenly footsteps came down the hall, and Grace turned the corner. "Conner! Have you seen him?" Conner looked at the shadow in her cabin. "Yeah, I've seen him. He's in there." He pointed in the door and turned to leave. "Conner?" He stopped. "What Grace."

She fingered her long brown hair in the braid that Cate had helped her put it in. "I'm sorry I hit you. I just don't want you to hate each other. And I don't like to see Lorcan in pain. Especially at the hands of my brother." Conner looked down. "I guess I was just thinking it would by funny, I didn't think it would literally hurt him." Grace flung her arms around Conner's neck from behind, and he tried to hug her backwards and failed miserably.

"Cate is looking for you. I have to talk to Lorcan." Conner nodded. "Grace? Will you do something for me?" She nodded. "Anything."

Conner looked down. "Tonight when the sun goes down, will you ask…Lorcan… to meet me on the deck? I think I need to apologize to him." Grace smiled and nodded. "I'll tell him." She turned and slipped into her cabin, closing the door behind her.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace sat beside Lorcan, feeling dismayed. The Vampirate was colder then she had ever felt him, and his skin was paler then usual. He seemed weak and tired all the time, even when he slept. 'He needs to feed.' Grace thought.

Suddenly Lorcan's eyes flickered open. "Grace? Where did you come from?" She handed him a tin of water. He drank it, but she saw his distaste as he nearly gagged on it.

"Lorcan, you and I both know what you need."

He looked up, then away. "I know Grace. But I can't. I can't take blood. I'll get you into trouble, and I'd probably be thrown overboard as a bonus. I'll just wait until Devil's Isle. Then I won't need blood anymore." Grace looked down. "But you'll never be strong enough this way." Lorcan sighed, but she pressed on. "I don't know how it's done, but I'm not afraid of you. I know you won't hurt me." Grace held out her arm. "Grace, no, I can't, not from you…" Lorcan backed away.

"Lorcan, you're sick. You need to feed. I have blood. I won't think anything different of you." His blue eyes flickered with fear. "But I could never take blood from you. I don't want to hurt you! I might not know when to stop…"

Grace stood up and went over to the Vampirate who was backed against the wall, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Lorcan, I know you would never hurt me. But you're hurting yourself by not feeding. If you hurt yourself, you're hurting me already. I don't want to see you so weak."

She leaned her head on his chest, and she almost thought she heard a small, pounding rhythm. "No, I-I, I can't, Grace. Not you." Grace didn't move, she just breathed in his scent and noticed that the smell of blood was almost non-existent now. "Alright, Lorcan. But you're hurting yourself by doing this. I just don't want you to hurt yourself so badly you can't control yourself later."

Lorcan shuddered beneath her, and Grace's dream of his flaming eyes and dripping fangs rushed back to her. "I can't." he whispered, and Grace moved away. "I have to eat, Lorcan. I'll be back tonight. Oh, and Conner wants to talk to you…"

The Vampirate grimaced and sat down on the hammock as Grace closed the door behind her. Then he almost fell over, his feeling of weakness was so unbearable. Just to move his arm took so much effort, and he knew his skin was pale and cold. He knew he had to feed. He also knew he couldn't take Grace's blood, or anyone else's on the ship.

He had his back against a wall.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner stood on the deck, the cool night air whipping his shaggy brown hair around his face. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and he turned. The Vampirate was leaning against the wall, his face pale and sickly. Did vampires get sick? Conner doubted it.

"Hello Conner." Although his appearance was frail, his voice was as strong as his gaze. "You wanted to see me here?"

Conner nodded. "Grace isn't with you?" The Vampirate shook his head, making his long black hair catch the wind and flutter like long strands of dark seaweed. "I wanted to tell you I was sorry for pulling the curtain. I didn't know it would hurt you." The Vampirate smiled thinly and bitterly. "There aren't many people who are afraid of the sunlight. More are afraid of the dark." Conner surveyed the Vampirate. He was leaning on the wall like he needed its support. His skin was pasty, like he was very ill. On closer observation, he was shaking.

"Don't Vampires need blood to survive?" Conner asked. He knew he struck a nerve when the Vampirate jerked. "You don't look so good. You haven't had a chance to drink blood in a while." The Vampirate tightened his grip on the rail. "Just because I am weak does not mean I cannot fight."

Conner shook his head. "You're going to have to leave, Vampirate. You can't feed here, and you need to. You will not take Grace away again. When you leave, she stays." The Vampirate looked at him with an expression of pure contempt.

"You don't know your sister at all, do you? She's a kinder person then you could ever be. She cares about more then herself. Unlike you." He said softly. Conner scowled. "You've tricked her somehow into thinking you're her dream come true. Then what? Are you going to suck her blood while she sleeps?"

Suddenly Conner had an enraged Vampirate at this throat. His blue eyes were blazing with anger, and he grabbed Conner by the collar. "You are a fool, Conner Tempest. You will always be a fool. Grace will be happy to be free of you." Conner winced, thinking the Vampirate would kill him then and there. But instead he shoved him against the wall and turned and swept away the way he came, limping on his right leg.

Conner leaned against the wall, his heart beating fast. What had he meant? Was he going to kill Conner? Was he going to kill Grace? Turn her into a Vampire and take her away to his ship? Conner wasn't sure, but he knew that he had to get rid of the Vampirate before it was too late.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Lorcan limped into the room, his anger still bubbling inside. How could Grace be related to that idiot? She was kind and caring where he was mean and spiteful. She had adapted to understand where he would do anything to make sure his view of Vampirates never changed. Lorcan's foot caught the rug, and he fell. Pain shot through his injured side, and the weakness came back all at once.

After his surge of anger there was only weakness. He got back to his feet and made his way slowly to Grace's cabin, his only goal to get there without blacking out.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Grace heard someone coming down the corridor, and by his slow and stumbling walk she knew it must be Lorcan. She went out to meet him and found him barely able to walk, stumbling blindly along the wall. "Come on, you need to rest." She caught his arm and helped him into the room. "What happened?" He shook his head, his eyes focusing and un-focusing by themselves.

"Lorcan, you're sick!" She cried, helping him lie down in the hammock.

"No, I'm not. Well…yes, I am." He finally admitted, not having the strength to argue any longer. "There's nothing you can do about it."

Grace set her jaw and picked up a piece of glass from a shattered bottle. "Lorcan, you know I can do something. And I'm going to." She jerked her arm and made a small slash on her wrist, right above the vein that was blue and near the surface. She held her arm over a cup, letting the blood drip into it. Lorcan turned away, his eyes clamped shut and his jaw clenched. When the blood stopped flowing, Grace cleaned off the cut and put the cup in front of the Vampirate. He was shaking terribly, and his eyes were fixed on the small cup.

"Grace, I can't, please. I can't take your blood."

Grace frowned. "Well, it's a shame to let this go to waste. I feel none the worse from it, and you _won't_ be taking it. I'm giving it to you." Finally the Vampire got the better of him and he slowly picked up the cup. "Do you think that's enough to keep you going? I can give you more if you need it. It's not going to be a rich as the donors on _The Nocturne_, but I hope it will suffice." Lorcan looked up at her, eyes slowly turning to hollow pits. But the flames were absent, leaving only darkness.

"Grace, I think you should leave. I don't want you to see me like this. I don't want you to see the monster inside of me." Grace knelt down and placed her hand in his. "Lorcan, I will never see a monster in your face. Even if you sprout wings and horns and a tail, and turn into a werewolf on the full moon, you're still you. But I'll leave if you want me to."

Lorcan nodded, squeezing her hand. "Please. It would make me feel better."

Grace slipped out of the room and closed the door. Suddenly Conner came running down the hall. "Grace! Don't let him in your room! He's going to—" Conner spotted her and stopped. "Grace! Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he? I heard him say it, he said you'd be happy to be free of me, he's going to turn you into a Vampire!" Grace frowned at her brother. "Conner honestly, this has gone far enough. Just let him be!"

Conner was pacing, muttering to himself. "He's trapped in there, maybe we can drive him out when the sun comes up, and then we'll have him."

Grace grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shake. "Conner. Lorcan is not going to turn anyone into a vampire. And he's not going to kill you." Conner pulled away. "Then what did he mean, 'she'll be glad to be free of you?'" Grace looked down, hoping he didn't see the truth in her face.

Conner backed away a step. "Has he already done it? I bet you are both vampires now! I can prove it!" He pulled out a candle and lit it, waving it in her face. Grace sighed and took the candle from him. "Conner, you're acting like an idiot. You're just over-paranoid about Lorcan. Why don't we go up on deck and watch the sun rise?" Conner seemed to calm down a bit at the mention of being out while the sun was up. She locked the door and followed her brother up to the deck.

The horizon was a gentle pink color, the color of the rising sun. Conner watched her suspiciously as she raised my arms and let the breeze blow under her cloak. "Honestly, I'd hate to be a Vampirate. You'd never get to see all of this!" She waved her hand at the glittering sea, looking like a hundred tiny sapphires. "Yeah, Grace. He never gets to see this." Conner pointed up at the sky. Several pirates came up onto the deck, but they paid little attention to the twins. "It's morning Conner, and I'm tired. I need to see if Lorcan is feeling better." She turned to leave, and Conner caught her wrist.

"What's this?" He asked, pointing to the cut from the glass. "I accidentally cut myself, ok? No big deal." Conner looked suspicious. "It bled pretty badly. Were you near the Vampirate when it happened?" Grace pulled her arm from his grasp. "I'm going to bed." She turned and marched away.

"You're already turning into one whether you know it or not!" Conner shouted after her. She ignored him and continued down into the ship.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lorcan felt strength flowing through him as he drained the cup. He hadn't moved, but he felt much better. He tried not to think that he felt better at her expense.

"Did you bandage up that cut? You don't want it to get infected." Lorcan said as soon as Grace came in. She smiled. "Feeling better I see. And yes, I made sure it was clean. I don't get sick very easily." She said. He smiled back at her, and it seemed that his canine teeth were more pointed then before.

"One question, Lorcan. Why do you guys have fangs anyway?" His smile melted. "Well, not all vampires are like the Vampirates. They take as they please and drain people dry. It's a Vampirate's worst nightmare. Mine anyway. But the way we Vampirates feed is… Complicated."

Grace looked over her shoulder at the door suspiciously, as if it was going to jump her at any moment. "I think Conner has lost his mind! He keeps saying that you're going to turn me into a Vampire! Honestly, and he was saying I was losing _my_ mind." Lorcan stood up, still shaky but feeling better.

"The Harvest moon is next week. We are somewhere near Devil's Isle, but I know _The Diablo_ won't take us there." Grace frowned. "Then how are we going to get there?" Lorcan whispered in her ear. "Lorcan! We're going to steal a boat?! What if we get caught?" He shrugged, flashing her a sly grin. "I could always pull the Vampire card; do some hissing, show my fangs, swish a black cape around menacingly." Grace punched him lightly in the arm. "You're crazy. Really, what would we do if we get caught?"

Lorcan smiled again. "Then we won't get caught. Simple as that." Grace rolled her eyes. "You're definitely better. Now, let's get ready to abandon ship at the next port."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Conner tossed and turned that night, his dreams mostly about Vampires and Vampirates. He woke when Bart told him they were at port. "Which port?" He mumbled. "Devil's Crossing. Best place in the world for Ray fishing." He winked at his roommate and ushered him to get up and out the door. As they passed Grace's cabin, Conner stopped. "I'll catch up; I'm just going to check on Grace." Bart shrugged and continued on.

Conner peeked in the room and was met by a terrible sight. All the drawers were open and empty, the hammock lay as the Vampirate had left it, and the chair also as Grace had left it. "They're going to run." Conner said to himself. He tore out of the room and up the stairs.

The sun was high in the sky, so he knew they were somewhere under cover. If they had gone last night, they would be faraway and long gone. But if they were hiding out and waiting to leave in the night, he still had a chance to save Grace and kill or capture the Vampirate. While he had sunlight, he had an advantage. The Vampire would be helpless if he could corner him in a place where sunlight could enter. He grabbed his rapier and leaped over the side.

"Buddy, where are you going? We're going to the pub, but if you don't help unload cargo you don't get a prepaid drink!" Bart called. Conner waved at him and dashed into the crowd. '_I'm going to save you, Gracie_.'

-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace walked through the port, a cloak over her head to hide her face. She knew someone would discover her absence, and there was a disadvantage to traveling with a vampire; he couldn't move about in the day. But she could scout ahead and they could sleep during the day. It would be a better way to travel in secret anyway.

She heard a commotion behind her, and she turned to look. A brown-haired boy was charging through the crowd the other way, his sword raised. "Conner?" Grace whispered.

The boy turned, and their identical green eyes locked. Grace shook her head, turning away. Conner ran towards her, and she didn't move. He stopped in front of her. "Grace! I came to rescue you!" Grace shook her head again and looked at her brother sadly. "I understand everything, Grace! Come with me now, and we'll get the crew to hunt him down. We'll take care of him."

Then she stepped forward and slapped his face as hard as she could. He staggered, almost knocked over by her blow. "Conner! I'm sick of this! Stop treating him like he's not a person! He's not just a person, he's a good person! I'm leaving, Conner. And if you don't stop this right now, I'm not coming back. Ever." He blinked, and there was already a red welt on his face from her hand.

"What has he done to you? He's washed your brain and stolen your sense!" Grace raised her hand to hit him again. He stepped back, and she lowered her hand. "Goodbye Conner. I hope I'll see you again. I think I'll go back to the lighthouse when this is over." She said, and she turned and walked away.

Conner let her go, his cheek throbbing.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Buddy, what happened?" Bart slapped his back, but Conner just waved him away. "Did you get into a fight?" Cate asked as she saw the handprint on his face, and Conner shook his head. "No. I ran into Grace. She's leaving." Bart and Cate looked at each other.

"Sorry, Buddy. I'm sure she'll be back after she's had her wanderlust satisfied." Conner shoved the hand Bart placed on his shoulder away. "It's not wanderlust. It's the Vampirate; he has her going on some crazy journey that will probably get her killed." His friends shared a sympathetic look as he disappeared below decks.

-*-*-*-*-*-

The journey across the island was long and boring, but nothing happened to the two journeyers. They slept by day and traveled by night, always finding an old shack or glade of shady trees to shelter in. Grace noticed that her skin was becoming paler from never seeing the sun, and she watched as she became more and more like a Vampirate. Lorcan was getting weak again, but he refused to even think about feeding.

"I never want to be a vampire again. I'm going to make it on what I've got to work with." He said stubbornly whenever she confronted him with the question. She just hoped he wouldn't let himself get as weak as he had before. "The sun is going down, we can probably go now." She would say every evening as she woke him. Lorcan would nod and they would slip out, him shielding his eyes from the last rays of the sun and she keeping a tight grip on his hand until the sun was gone and the moon rose.

They didn't talk much; the knowledge of where they were going and why gave them a sense of peace, and Devil's Isle was just across the cove before they knew it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Grace saw the land across the cove and felt her heart skip a beat. They had made great time, and they still had a day and two nights until the Harvest Moon. Lorcan was asleep under a glade of trees, the heavily leafed branches shading him from most of the sunlight. Grace looked over at her sleeping friend and smiled.

He was going to be a regular seventeen year old boy soon. Maybe the next time she leaned her head on his shoulder, he would kiss her, and he would be warm and human and even more wonderful. She smiled softly at the thought and settled down beside him and letting the gentle, dappled light of the sun lulling her to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lorcan felt the sun setting, and he opened his eyes. Grace was asleep next to him, her brown-red hair spread like sunrays across the ground. Her small hand was lying on top of his larger one, and he felt the warmth of it. He knew his touch felt ice cold to her, and he gently slipped his hand out from under hers. The sun had set, and he could see the moon coming up slowly from over the ridge. It sent gentle rays of pale light across her face, and Lorcan sighed.

He could make her a Vampirate.

Then they could be together for always, sailing the ocean with _The_ _Nocturne_. And being forced to feed, feared and hated by humans. If they were both mortal, they would die. But they would breathe as one, and their hearts could beat together. They could go outside in the light. They could run through a field of wildflowers in the spring, kicking up bumblebees as they went…

He sighed and shook away the childish fantasy. She looked so peaceful, sleeping there. Maybe they would just stay here until tomorrow and go to Devil's Isle then. They were a whole day and a half early, so why not? He lay down beside her on the soft grass, his black locks twisting in dark shadows across her red-brown hair. He fell asleep again, the beat of her heart the only sound in the night.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Conner felt like his head was going to explode. Bart and Cate had been wrong; Grace was still gone, and it had been days. He paced around his room, imagining where she could be. Finally he flopped down on his bed in exhaustion. He was getting nowhere, and Grace wasn't coming back.

Maybe after she had her fill of adventure, she's come back? He told himself she would and fell into a light and troubled sleep.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace woke up as the sun rose. She leaped up, making a pale hand that had been resting on her shoulder fall to the ground with a thump. "Lorcan, we slept through the night! We'll miss the Harvest moon!" The Vampirate squinted and sighed, peeping out from under his long black coat.

"Grace, the Harvest moon is tomorrow, and we can't start the ritual until midnight anyway. We still have a whole day to sleep and a night to get there. Go back to sleep or get something to eat. Either way, I'm not moving." He pulled his coat over his head and was asleep again in moments. She shook her head and decided to go to the little town nearby and get something to eat.

When she got to the town, her eye was immediately caught by a jewelry cart. It was very small, but the vendor had sharp eyes to keep grab-happy pirates away. "Hello, little lady. That's a fine necklace you've got. May I have a look?" she nodded hesitantly and handed it to him. His eyes swept over the locket and stuck on the ring.

"You get this from your husband?" she blushed and shook her head. "No, I'm not married; I'm only fourteen. I got the locket from my brother and the ring from my friend." He nodded and handed it back to her. "It's a fine piece of silver, and that ring is at least seven hundred years old, by my reckoning! Can I interest you in anything?" She looked at the necklaces hanging from the sides and her eyes stopped on a black stone necklace that looked like a charm.

"What's this?" She asked, pointing at the stone. The vendor smiled. "That's a good luck charm. If you rub it every morning and every night, then it gives you good luck." She dug out her purse and handed him a silver piece. "Here you go." She smiled and put it around her neck. "Thank you!" She called and ran back the way she came, her hunger gone in an instant.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Lorcan, Lorcan wake up!" Grace was shaking his shoulder, and he peeked out from inside his jacket. "Why am I awake again?" He mumbled. She grinned and held something behind her back. Lorcan pulled his head out from inside the jacket. "What are you hiding?" She put a hand over his eyes and he felt something slide around his neck. He opened his eyes and looked down at his chest.

A small black rock with swirling veins of red hung on a thin black cord around his neck. "It's a good luck charm. I got it for you, so we'd have good luck getting across the cove. And since I'm wearing something from you around my neck, I thought you should have something from me." He smiled and fingered the charm.

"Well, it's still only noon. Why don't we both go back to sleep, and then leave at nightfall?" Lorcan nodded and put his head back down, buried under his jacket.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Grace felt her heart speed up as the sun sank below the horizon. She grabbed Lorcan and shook him until he got up and practically ran to the small port at the edge of Devil's Cove, waiting for him to catch up. They crouched behind a bush and picked out a boat to steal. It was a small shift, but it would hold two people, and it was fast.

They moved slowly and quietly, sneaking past the guard no problem. Grace manned the rudder and Lorcan let loose the small sail. The strong wind picked them up and shot them across the water. The cold wind and spray stung Grace's face, and soon they came to land and tied the boat to a rock.

"Well, this is it." She said. Lorcan nodded, but she could see he was nervous. She took his hand in hers, feeling once again how cold and hard his skin was.

The thought that they would be warm and soft soon made her heart skip. They walked into the depths of the dark cave together, heading towards a new future.

~*~*~*~*~*~

If he had had a beating heart, it would have been pounding. He was so afraid he could barely move. Grace took his hand and they entered together. There was a raised platform of stone in the center of the cave, and a small patch of moonlight shone in through a hole in the roof. "This is it." Grace said softly. Lorcan nodded.

She reached into her pouch and pulled out a knife. She clenched her jaw and slashed her wrist, blood blossoming. Lorcan took the blade and slashed his own wrist, and he began to bleed black vampire blood. They looked at each other. "Here we go." She took out the piece of cloth they had brought, and quick as a flash tied their wrists together.

*~*~*~*~*~*

It felt like fire was shooting up Grace's arm. She couldn't tell what Lorcan was feeling, because he was just looking panicked. Suddenly he doubled over, and they both fell to their knees, their wrists bound and their blood mixing and pooling beneath them at the same time.

"Grace. I don't think it's worth it. It's hurting you." He gasped, but she just gritted her teeth against the pain that was spreading all over her body and held onto him.

Suddenly Lorcan went rigid and collapsed, lying limply on the ground. "Lorcan!" She gasped through the pain. She could see her world going black, and she leaned her head on her knee, her hand trembling as she held their wrists together.

"I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates, a-a tale as old as true…" She began shakily. "Yea, I'll sing you a so-song….." She couldn't breathe very well, and the words kept getting jumbled in her head. She closed her eyes and crouched beside the Vampirate in the small patch of golden moonlight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lorcan felt like his veins were on fire. He couldn't move, couldn't see. He heard Grace softly singing the Vampirate shanty, and he tried to block the pain away.

Then, suddenly, it was gone.

Grace sat up, looking confused. "Is it over?" She asked, trembling. Lorcan sat up, and he was trembling worse then Grace. "Lorcan, are you alright?" he shrugged, but he didn't feel any different. "I don't know, Grace, I know that hurt like heck though." She laughed shakily. "Me too. Let's get out of this cave.

She unbound their wrists, but the blood was so mixed they couldn't tell if either one was different. Lorcan stumbled, and his vision was blurring in and out of focus. Suddenly he slipped, and he fell down the pile of loose earth to the cave floor below. He hit with a thud, and stood up a moment afterward. "Come on." They struggled out of the cave and onto the beach, supporting each other. When they finally collapsed under the moon, he saw the pirate ship heading for their island.

Then his vision went black and he saw no more.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Grace saw the ship coming and waved at it, hoping to flag it down. "Hey! Help!" She cried, and it slowly, painfully turned towards them. A small row boat came to get them, and she felt relief spread through her. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Here, help me get my friend. He's passed out over here!" She called as the pirates jumped out.

"Where is your friend?" One asked, and Grace stopped stock still. "Bart?" She asked, and the huge pirate laughed. "Grace! Is that you?" She nodded. "It is me! How did you guys know we were here?" Bart nodded down at a smaller pirate next to him. "Because he heard you talking to him. You said something about Devil's Isle. Besides, Captain wanted to pick up some things on the other side of the cove, and we saw you running around like a crazy person."

Suddenly the smaller pirate grabbed her wrist, and she winced in pain as he touched her wound. "He hurt you! See, I told you he would! Now he's hurt you and run off." Grace pulled her arm away from her brother and turned to Bart.

"Bart, will you help me? My friend is unconscious." Bart nodded and followed her. He picked up Lorcan in his arms, and Grace felt a sense of fear. He looked so helpless and fragile, and he let out a tiny moan as Bart set him down. She followed them onto the ship, and didn't say one word to Conner the whole ride back.

She went to her cabin, not bothering to change into different clothes. Bart put Lorcan in the hammock, and she fell into the chair and was asleep before she hit.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Grace woke up a few hours later, and saw that Lorcan was standing at the porthole looking out the window. It was the darkest time of night, in the hours before dawn.

"I don't know if it worked, Grace. I feel the same. I hope I didn't put you through that pain for nothing." He said softly. "Come on, you need a walk around the deck. I feel better, and you do too, I hope." He nodded and followed her out the door and up to the deck. They watched the stars, and Grace could see a small hint of pink on the horizon.

"Lorcan, the sun is rising." She said.

"I know."

She frowned. "Well, I don't think we should chance it that it didn't work. I think we should go inside." She took his hand, but he didn't move. "Please, I don't want you to get hurt by the sun again." She pleaded.

"Well, that's too bad." A voice said. She whipped around and found Conner standing on the deck, his sword raised. He lunged, and Lorcan spun aside, but the sword sliced into his arm. He cried out and fell to the deck.

Conner smiled and stood over him, sword raised. "I won't make you suffer in the sun, vampire. I'll kill you here and now." Lorcan clutched his arm, and suddenly the sun came up behind his head. Conner blinked at the sudden light in his face, and Grace tackled him. He grabbed her and shoved her off. She held on to his legs, and he began to stumble. As he fell he grabbed the only thing available.

His hand closed around her necklace, and suddenly the chain snapped, sending small silver links skittering across the deck. They both froze, the locket and the ring sliding off to opposite sides of the deck. Tears welled up in Grace's eyes, and Conner's eyes widened.

"Grace, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" She knelt down and picked up the ring and the locket. "I know, Conner. But I made my choice, and you should have just accepted it." She put the locket in his hand and held the ring close to her chest.

He clenched his jaw. "Fine. But I'm going to finish what I started!" He turned and threw his sword right at the boy kneeling on the deck.

"LORCAN!!!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sword missed by so little. Just two inches over and down and it would have hit the Vampirate dead center in the heart. But Conner had missed, and he was only pinned to the wall by his cloak. Grace fell to her knees beside him, her arms around his shoulders. "Lorcan, I thought you were a goner." The boy looked around in a daze, and Conner noticed something. There was blood seeping through his fingers that were clasped to the wound on his arm.

The blood was red. Normal, human, red blood.

"Grace, there's blood…" Conner said. Grace looked and gasped. "Lorcan! It worked! I can't believe it!" The Vampirate stood up, and his eyes caught the sunlight, reflecting it a hundred times. "I haven't seen the sun rise in almost seven hundred years…" He said softly. Grace was too busy blubbering and crying and chattering to notice his amazed look.

"Am I the only one who's confused?" Conner asked. Lorcan turned to him. "I'm not a vampire now." He said, as if it explained everything. He closed his eyes and flung his arms out, letting the wind pick up his long dark hair and swirl it around him. Then Lorcan picked Grace up in his arms and spun her around, swinging her across the deck as they shared their first sunrise together.

Conner felt his heart sink; what had he done? He had tried to come between them, even when they would die for each other. He dropped his other rapier with a clang and fell to his knees, turning their attention to him. Grace had tears streaming down her face, of joy or sadness Conner didn't know.

"Grace, I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me!" He looked down at the deck on shaking hands and knees, hoping that maybe Lorcan would kill him. "Get up, Conner." Conner obeyed, and Lorcan looked him in the eyes. "I understand why you were against me. I hope you've learned a lesson from all this. Actually, you helped. I might not have known, if you hadn't cut me." He took his hand off the wound and looked at the red liquid dripping off it. Then he did something that made Conner completely confused. He threw back his head and laughed, his hand still covered in his own blood.

Conner sat down on the stairs to contemplate, and Lorcan moved over to Grace. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, his eyes even more intense and brilliant in the sunlight. Grace leaned her head on his chest and heard a wonderful sound.

'_Badum, badum, badum_.'

A heart beat beneath her ear, and she felt more tears coming as they cascaded down her face. "What's wrong?" Lorcan asked, lifting her face up. "I can hear it now. It's beating." Lorcan put a hand on his chest and blinked as he felt the pounding under it. "I promised myself something, Grace. I said, 'there are three things I'm going to do when this is over.'"

She pulled him closer. "What did you promise to do?"

He smiled and tapped the top of her head. "Well, I did the second thing first. I was going to stay out in the Sun." Grace looked up at him. "What was the first thing?" He put his hand on the back of her neck and drew her face to his, kissing her softly. "That's what I was going to do."

She buried her face in his shoulder. "What's the third thing?" She mumbled. He shrugged, making Grace's head bob. "I suppose I'd like to eat an apple."

They both laughed as the sun came up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

* * *

_Believe it or not, I actually finished a story before starting to post it!!! Yay!_

_Hope you liked it, I might end up adding another little bitty chapter... Probably not, because I'm too lazy. XD_

_Review Pleez!_

_~^~Phoenix~^~_


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